On this day five years ago, nine lives were taken at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. The mass shooting is a gruesome manifestation of the intersection of racism and gun violence. Sadly, both problems remain just as prevalent today as they were five years ago.
Amid a worldwide health crisis, an economic downturn that has devastated millions, and a pandemic of racism and police violence in the United States, this query has woven its way into my thoughts over these past months.
After nearly 20 years of war, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement on Feb. 29, 2020 aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan.
Since Donald Trump threatened to use soldiers to quell the largely peaceful protests supporting our black siblings who have been victims of police brutality and institutional racism, I have been having trouble sleeping.
On April 30, the Federal Reserve expanded its Main Street Lending Program to allow small and mid-size oil companies to access emergency COVID-19 funds. As a result, oil and gas companies have received over $113 million in COVID-19 relief meant for small businesses.
Incarcerated people have the same needs and fears as the un-incarcerated. But incarceration institutions, by their very nature, deny the humanity of the people they house. This continual denial of humanity leads to psychological scarring that lasts long after a person is released.
We know that COVID-19 is a threat to the health and safety of millions of Americans. But a less-discussed effect of the pandemic is its impact on the health and safety of our elections.
The House passed the Heroes Act (H.R. 6800), a comprehensive bill to further address the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout. FCNL has been lobbying Congress to include many policy provisions in the next COVID-19 bill.
I became a Quaker because of FCNL. Part of that story is personal, tied to the people I have met through this work, including my fellow intern and now husband. FCNL has introduced me to communities and people who are now, quite literally, my family.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, people of color are disproportionately impacted.
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